Slide shutter plates are generally used in the casting of molten metal to dose molten metal, for example, into casting moulds. Such a slide shutter plate package may also comprise a bottom nozzle brick which is connected as one piece to the lowermost slide shutter plate and which is compressed to a shroud during casting. Traditionally, slide shutter plates and bottom nozzle bricks are made of pressed burnt brick, but also various refractory sealing compounds have been used in their manufacture.
Molten metal wears away slide shutter plates/bottom nozzle brick so that they have to be replaced or alternatively repaired at certain intervals. According to the state of the art, the repair can be made by using a diamond drill to drill the flow aperture bigger. Drilling requires very heavy tools and is financially expensive; it also takes a lot of time. For improving wear resistance, various wear-resistant coatings have also been prepared to the inner surface of the slide shutter plate/bottom nozzle brick. Coating requires special knowledge/tools and takes a lot of time and money. A slide shutter plate/bottom nozzle brick can typically be used in approximately five castings before its replacement or drilling so that this is a part that has to be replaced quite often in the casting process.